With 600+ measles cases, South Carolina has largest outbreak in US

About a year after West Texas reported a large measles outbreak, South Carolina has the most measles cases of any U.S. state so far in 2026. 

The state’s health department is counting 646 cases as of Jan. 20. Most cases are in Spartanburg County, a county in northwest South Carolina that is about 70 miles from Charlotte, N.C.

This figure far surpasses the 145 cases reported by the CDC as of Jan. 13. Some jurisdictions report probable measles cases; however, the CDC only reports confirmed cases that jurisdictions have notified to CDC.

South Carolina far exceeds other states, according to CDC data on confirmed measles cases. In 2026, eight other states have reported confirmed measles cases to the CDC: Utah with 14, Ohio (three), Florida (two), North Carolina (two), Oregon (two), Arizona (one), Georgia (one) and Virginia (one). 

There are 538 people in quarantine and 33 in isolation in South Carolina, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.

“We feel like we’re really kind of staring over the edge, knowing that this is about to get a lot worse,” said Johnathon Elke, MD, emergency medicine physician from Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health, at a Jan. 16 press briefing, according to NBC News. 

The U.S. might lose the measles elimination status it has held since 2000. The status can be removed after one year of transmission — but confirming a link between the West Texas measles outbreak in January 2025 to the measles outbreaks in South Carolina and other states in January 2026 is tricky, according to The New York Times. 

In 2025, the CDC reported 2,242 confirmed measles cases — a significant increase from 2024, which saw 285 confirmed cases. So far in 2026, the CDC has confirmed 171 measles cases.

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